Laundry machine



' oct. 17,1933. o. H. HULLI'NGS 1,931,410

LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed'Feb. 9. 193s Patented Oct. 17, 1933 LAUNDRY MACHINE 4otis H. nuiiings,'A1exanaria, va.' Application February 9, 1933. Serial No. 655,983 v 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in laundry machinesvgenerally, and more particularly to washing machines to be employed in laundries of large capacity.

51' This application is a continuation in part of an application for Letters Patent of the United States on improvements in Laundry machines, which was filed by me on March 14, 1928 (Serial No..26l,468). Y

1 An object of the invention is to provide a washing machine with a water inlet and an outlet drain whereby it will function to wash and rinse articles to be laundered in a substantiallycontinuance operation.

l5 'i Another object of the invention is to eliminate,

in carrying out the aforesaid continuance washing and rinsing operation, the settling of soil laden froth of a used washing solution onthe previously washed batches of articles, such as 'iwould occur in the old method of operation of Washing machineswherein the used washing solution is discharged from a machine prior to subjecting the washed articles to rinsing water,

which elimination is accomplished inra manner that the used solution is gradually forced out of the machine and'from the washed articles by admitting rinsing water to the machine immediately following the completion of a washing operation, thus leaving the washed articles in a` SOsemi-rinsed and much cleaner condition than would otherwise be the case and ready for the,

an associated indicator, in the operation of which the drain may be set to maintain a desired depth of washing solutionror rinsing water in the ma- 40 chine during a washing and rinsing operation and thereafter positioned to completely evacuate the used liquid content from the machine following the final rinsing operation.

With the foregoing and other equally important objects and advantages in View, the invention resides in the certain new and useful combination, construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which: Y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved laundry machine, and

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof. Referring to the drawing, wherein like charac- Vters of reference designate corresponding parts in the two views thereof, the embodiment of the 1 invention, as exemplified therein, is comprised in a washer bodyrlO which is preferably of horifzontal cylindricalform to house awash carrier 1 or drum (not shown) mounted on a driven shaft 11. Access to the` interior of the body 10 is had through an opening in itsV upper and forward side; the opening being normally closed by` a movable coverv 12. f

`A sediment trough 13 is provided at the bottom -65 f side of the body 10 for the draining ytherefrom of a content of *he body as required. A valved liquid inlet 14 opens inwardly ofthe rear wall of the body l0 at apoint in the plane of or slightly below the lower edge of the opening Vat the for- .70 Ward side thereof. y,

In adapting the washing machine,` as thus constructed and arranged, for the desired continuous washingA and rinsing operation, one or morey outlets-15 is provided in a side wallof thetrough 75 13, and each outlet has a packing joint 16 on its free end for the coupling thereto of a vertically adjustable drain pipe or spout 1'7.y Each pipe or spout V1'7- is preferably disposed 'in right angular relation to its coupledvend for swinging 30 movement from ahorizontal position to a vertical position of operation and has its-free end of angled formation, as at 18, to discharge a liquid` contenttof the body 10 toone side'thereof.

Thus, when one or both of thedrainpipes or spouts 17 are disposed in their horizonta-lposi-f tions,'which willplace the discharge endsthereof below the level of the bottom wall of the trough 13, the liquid content of the body 10 will be completely drained therefrom, while, when swung in an upward direction to anydesired set angle of inclination, or to full vertical position, the liquid content of the body will be maintained atla selccted depth therein.

.In any case, the length of the pipes or spouts 1'7 is such that, when they are vertically disposed, the level of a liquid content of the body 10 will be immediately below the lower edge of theopening through which access is had to thev interior` of the body.

kBy this arrangement, no cutoff means need be provided to control the discharge of a. liquid content from the body 1.0, since the required amount of the liquidwill remain in the body at the set position of the pipes or spouts 1'7 during either 105 of the washing or rinsing operations, and the discharge of a used washing solution is readily accomplished by merely admitting rinsing water at the inlet 14, without disturbing the previously set positions of the pipes or spouts, at least at the beginning of a rinsing operation. However, at the conclusion of a completed rinsing operation, the pipes or spouts 17 will be moved to horizontal position for the draining of the liquid content of the body 10, preparatory to the-removal of the washed and rinsed articles andthe commencing of the next washing operation.

In order to facilitate the operation of a drain pipe or spout 17, from a remote point but con' venient to the operator of a washing machine of large capacity, a depth indicating quadrant 19 will be positioned toward one end of the machine body for the cooperation therewith of a hand lever 20 which is supported for swinging movements relatively thereto on a iixed pivot 21. The end of the lever 20, below its pivot 21, is pivoted, as at 22, to one end of a pitman 23, which has its other end pivoted in turn, as at 24, to an intermediate portion of a pipe or spout 17.

Thus, with the upper part of the lever registered with therzero graduation on the quadrant 19, the connected pipe or spout 17 will be horizontally disposed for draining purposes, and, when the lever is swung to the opposite end of the quadrant, the pipe or spout will be elevated to vertical position for retaining a maximum depth of liquid in the body-10. By moving the lever 20 to the diiierent graduations on the quadrant 19 between zero and maximum, the angle of inclination of 36 l'the pipe or spout 17 will be correspondingly varied and any selected depth. of liquid maintained in the washer body.v

When more than one-of the pipes or spouts 17 are employed, the pivotrof the one nearest the -flever 21v will be interconnected with a similar pivot 24 on the other thereof through a link 25, substantially as shown. j y

In the operation of a washer equipped with these drain pipes or spouts 17, and with the same ,disposed in vertical position, a wash solution, or water to be later saponified, will be admitted to Y the body 1I) at the inlet 14 and until there .is a flow from the pipes or spouts to indicate that the selected depth of liquid `has been reached. If lfresh water only isadmittedat the inlet 14, then a detergent can be introduced thereto through the opening at the upper forward side of the body.

v With a properwash solution in place, the articles to be washed will thenl be positioned on the car- 56 `rier or drum, and the washer will be ready for the washing operation, which will be eiected by imparting'motion to the shaft 11. Y Y v Upon the completion of a washing operation, and without opening up the body 10, the inlet 14 will be opened to admit a supply of rinsing water which will displace the used washing solution and cause it to be evacuated from the pipes or spouts 17, the latter being allowed to remain in their previously set positions.

When the body 10 has been completely evacuated of the used'washing solution, that fact will be indicated-by the outflow of clear rinsing water from the pipes or spouts 17.

Now, after letting clear water now throughY the-body 10, during the continued rotation of the carrier or drum with the shaft 11,A to effect a iinal rinsing of the previously washed articles, the pipes or spouts 17 will be returned to horizontal position for the complete draining of the liquid content from the body; the inlet 14 being preferably `closed only when it is assured that all sediment has been washed out of the trough 13. When kthis assurance is had, the machine is in readiness for a repeat washing operation upon the removal of the previously washed and rinsed articles from the carrier or drum.

Without 'further descriptiomit is thought that 100 thefeatures and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, andl it will of course be understood that changes inV the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or its scope asv claimed.

I claim:

In a laundry machine, an elongated` hollow body having a valved inlet toward its top side, spaced drain pipes extending laterally from beneath one side of said body, an overflow arranged forv vertical angular adjustments on thelfree end of each drain pipe and acting to maintain a maximum depth of liquid within said body when ad-l justedto vertical position and to completely drain the body when horizontally disposed, a hand lever pivotaliy mounted at one end of said body, link connections between said overflows and said handY lever, and a graduated indicating means over which said leverV is moved to allow for the setting. of the lever and said overflows to selected positionsof operation between the extremes of range in adjustment thereof.

o'rrs H. HULLINGS. 

